Article display package and method and blanks for making same



p 968 R. J. LlGON 3,375,921

ARTICLE DISPLAY PACKAGE AND METHOD AND BLANKS FOR MAKING SAME Filed Jan.31, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. J. LIGON ARTICLE DISPLAY PACKAGE AND METHODAND BLANKS FOR MAKING SAM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 51, 1967 [FlG.7

April 2, 1968 R. J. LIGON 3,375,921

ARTICLE DISPLAY PACKAGE AND METHOD AND BLANKS F Filed Jan. 31, 1967 ORMAKING SAME 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 [FIG.1O

United States Patent 3,375,921 ARTICLE DISPLAY PACKAGE AND METHOD ANDBLANKS FOR MAKING SAME Robert Joseph Ligon, Beechwood Circle, Boxford,Mass. 01921 Filed Jan. 31, 1967, Ser. No. 612,958 12 Claims. (Cl.206-80) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Article display mounts bearingarticles inserted through an opening in the mount and enclosed in heatshrunk film, including those of the stand-up type, provide greater areasof film for stretching during the packaging process and impose lessstress on the heat shrunk film, particularly where the articles possesssharp corners or other protrusions, by utilizing an article positioningmeans to center or otherwise locate the enclosed article or articleswith respect to the opening borders which hence can be spaced well awayfrom the article thereby enlarging the film area without leaving thearticle free to move around in the en closure. Various blank formsinclude a foldable flap which when folded over the opening acts as thearticle locator and permits a novel method of packaging utilizing thelocator flap as the article positioning means during the packagingoperation.

This invention relates to display packages of the shrunkplastic windowtype, wherein an article extends through an opening in a cardboard mountand is enclosed within transparent, heat-shrunk film material whichstretches over the article and is anchored to the mount. The inventionfurther relates to the method of making such packages from novel blanks.

Some such packages are of the stand-up type as dis closed in UnitedStates Patents Nos. 3,064,402 and 3,185,295, where one end of thearticle is substantially flush with the folded end of a mount consistingof two fo ded layers. Others have the articles spaced from all the outeredges of the mount, which is either two-ply or folded layers of a singleply.

While packages of both types have enjoyed considerable use, the stressesexerted on the heat-shrunk film during and after the heat-shrinkingoperation cause more inadvertent film failures by rupture than one likesto encounter, causing rejects in the packaging operation ordisintegration of the package during storage, involving losses in timeand effort. The problem becomes most acute when rectilinear or othersharp corners or protrusions are present over which the film is snuglystretched at substantially right angles as is necessary to keep thearticle from moving about in too big an enclosure, spoiling its neatappearance, uniform with its sister articles.

Packages of the present invention greatly alleviate the rupture problemwithout sacrifice in uniform, neat and secure article placement bysubstantially reducing the included angles in the folds of the shrunkfilm. This is done by deliberately making the opening in the mountsubstantially oversize to increase the areas of the opening-coveringportions of the film and increasing the internal volume of the enclosureto an extent that the article would be capable of moving around in theenclosure, but for the inclusion of an article positioning panel or mat3,375,921 Patented Apr. 2, 1968 ICC which retains the article orarticles in a securely fixed position within the inside volume of theenclosure.

The result is that the package is embraced on all or some of its sidesby a stiff mat-like member and the film material is stretched over thearticle to enclose it, with the stretched film material being anchoredto the mount alOng lines spaced outwardly from the article-embracingedges of the mat so that portions of the film stretching angularly awayfrom the member from said anchoring lines overlie in spaced relationportions of the mat adjacent the article-embracing edges.

This enlarges the area of the material which is subject to thestretching and subsequent heat. shrinking so as to distribute thestresses over a wider area of the film. Nevertheless, the article ispositioned in the center of, or in any other fixed position within theenclosure, and will not rattle around or become displaced inadvertentlyfrom its such fixed position.

The article-positioning mat can be adhesively sandwiched between twolayers of the mount but preferably is integral with the mount as afolded-in flap attached to either an end or a side of the mount. Theflap is formed with internal article-embracing edges either as a recessextending in from a free edge thereof or as an internal aperture orapertures or both.

Because of the existence of the article-embracing mat edges, one of theside edges of the package may remain unsealed for more ready access tothe articles held within the enclosure.

The above and other features of the invention may be more readilyunderstood when taken in connection with the following description oftypical embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the stand-up package in accordance withthis invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank used in forming the package of FIG. 1;

FIG, 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front face vie-w of 9. e;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the package shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a blank used in forming the package of FIGS. 5and 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 88 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a front face view of a further modified form of package; and

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a blank used in forming the package of FIG.10.

The package of FIG. 1 may best be understood by referring initially tothe blank of FIG. 2 which shows a sheet of normal stiff cardboard of thetype used in forming display package mounts and being indicated in thedrawing as divided into three panels 20, 22 and 24.

Panels 20 and 22 have a symmetrically laid out internal central cut-out26 over which is heat-sealed or otherwise adhesively laminated a sheetof transparent stretchable and heat-shrinkable film 28 of a typenormally used in the manufacture of such packages.

As described in US. Patent No. 3,185,295, pockets may modified form ofpackbe formed in the portion of the film material 28 which spans thecut-out 26 so that an article may be deposited in one of said pocketsand then the panel may be folded over the panel 22 and adhered theretoaround the marginal portions thereof. Normally the package has acrosssectional area just sufficient to be embraced by the edges and theregistering openings 26 after the panels have been folded intofaceto-face relation.

The blank of FIG. 2, however, includes the additional flap 24 which hasa recess 30. In accordance with this invention, the recess 30 is therecess which has the crosssectional dimension fitting the article,whereas the opening formed by the folded-over cut-out 26 is materiallylarger both in width and height than the width and height of the articleto be packaged and hence also larger than the corresponding dimensionsof recess 30. Thus, the flap 24 is folded downwardly so that it issandwiched, when the panels 20 and 22 are folded into overlyingrelation, between those panels and has edges 31, 32 and 33 extendingmat-like into three sides of the registering openings 26 of the twoother panels. Flap 24 is of a height to just reach the fold line betweenpanels 20 and 22. The foldedover registering edges 34, 35 and 36 of theregistered openings of the two panels 20 and 22 formed by cut-out 26are, on the contrary, all spaced from the edges of the package A asshown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Accordingly, the transparent film material 28extends outwardly (FIG. 3) from the edges 34, 34 and the edges 36, 36and (FIG. 4) from the edges 35, 35 away from the article positioning mat24 and in spaced overlying relation thereto with the result that theincluded angles formed in the folds of the transparent material are muchlarger than 90, thus relieving some of the stress on the transparentfilm 28 and allowing a much greater safety margin in the packagingoperation.

It will be understood that in the form of the package shown in FIGS. l4,the folded over sheets are held in folded over relation in anyconventional manner such as by heat sealing the transparent filmmaterial together along the marginal edges of the panels 20 and 22 or byusing a separate adhesive.

For clarity the two panels 20 and 22 in FIGS. 3 and 4 are shown slightlydiverging but in practice may be sealed in more parallel relation.

In the form of device shown in FIGS. 5-8, the more common window form ofpackage is shown which does not have the stand-up feature of the packageshown in FIGS. 14.

Here each panel 50 and 52 has a separate aperture 54 and 56 respectivelyso placed on the panels that when they are folded about the fold line 58they will be in register. Flap 60 instead of having a recess has aplurality of apertures 62 adapted to receive articles and the flap 60 isadapted to be folded and sandwiched between the other two panels inmat-forming relation with respect to the registering windows formed bythe film 64 laminated to the panels 50 and 52.

In the package shown, fuses F are adapted to be packaged with four ofthem facing one way through the four larger holes and a central onefacing the other way through the smaller center hole. This results insome contortion of the panel 60 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 which is notharmful.

In FIGS. 10 and 11, the package again has registering apertures 70 and72 in two panels 74 and 76 having a laminated overlying film 78, buthere the foldable flap 80 with its apertures 81 and 82 is attached tothe side instead of the end of one of the other panels, but has aconfiguration again whereby it may .be folded into matlike relation withthe aperture 72 and sandwiched between the other two panels when theyare folded into faceto-face relation so as 'to center or otherwiseposition an article, such as the screw driver shown, within the area ofthe registering openings. The flap fold line is thus at a right angle tothe panel fold line. The other film-covered apertures 84 and 86 areconventional as for enclosing screws.

In all forms of the invention except that of FIGS. l-4, the package maybe assembled from three adhesively attached but separate, instead ofintegral panels, and in the FIGS. 14 form the mat 24 may be adhered as aseparate sheet to either or both of the integral panels 20 and 22.

In the multiple article package of FIG. 5, the folded panels 50 and 52,while sealed along their side marginal positions need not be sealedtogether across the flap 6% This leaves a pocket opening on the insideof the flap fold giving access to the fuses without destroying thepackage.

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-layer display package comprising a stiff intermediate memberdefining an opening, the edges of which opening are adapted to at leastpartially embrace an article to be displayed,

an article positioned in said opening and at least partially embraced bysaid member,

film material stretched over and wholly enclosing said article, and

two outer layers of stiff sheet material adhered together inface-to-face relationship, each of said outer layers defining an openingwhose edges are spaced outwardly from the edges of said intermediatelayer opening and anchoring said stretched film material along linesspaced outwardly from edges of said intermediate layer opening, portionsof said film stretching angularly from said anchoring lines to saidarticle in overlying spaced relation to underlying inner marginalportions of said intermediate member adjacent said article-embracingedges.

2. A package as claimed in claim 1, wherein between said two outerlayers of stiff sheet material are sandwiched outer marginal portions ofboth said stiff intermediate member and said film material on the sidesof said article embraced by said intermediate stiff member.

3. A package as claimed in claim 2, wherein said stifi. member isfoldably attached to one of said outer layers along one edge thereof.

4. A package as claimed in claim 2, wherein said outer layers and thestiff member sandwiched therebetween surround said article on all sides.

5. A package as claimed in claim 2, wherein said outer layers comprisefolded panels of a single sheet of cardboard.

6. A package as claimed in claim 2, wherein said outer layers and saidstiff member comprise folded panels of a single sheet of carboard.

7. A package as claimed in claim 2, wherein said outer layers areunattached along one edge of said display package to give access forintentional removal of an article from said package.

8. A display package blank comprising a sheet of stiff materialincluding two foldably connected panels,

said panels having openings adapted to register with each other whensaid panels are folded into face-toface relation,

stretchable film material covering said openings and adhered to saidpanels,

a flap foldably connected to one of said panels and adapted to befoldably sandwiched between said filmcovered openings when said panelsare folded into face-to-face relation,

said flap having a cut-out of smaller area than each of said openings,

said cut-out being positioned on said flap to lie within said largeropenings when said panels are folded in face-to-face relation with saidflap sandwiched between said folded panels.

9. A display package blank as claimed in claim 8,

wherein said openings in said panels are of identical area.

10. A display package blank as claimed in claim 8,

wherein the openings in said panels are connected and References Citedform a double size single opening.

11. A display package blank as claimed in claim 8, UNITED STATES PATENTSwherein one of said panels is between said fiap and the 2,311,742 2/1943Eaton 229 '92'9 other Panel, 5 2,366,886 1/1945 Van Tuyl 2063 12. Adisplay package blank as claimed in claim 8, 3,064,402 11/1962 Cranewherein the foldable flap is connected to one side of one 3,179,2464/1965 Rosenberg 20678 of said panels and is foldable along a fold lineextending at a right angle to the fold line between said two panels.WILLIAM DIXSON Pmmary Exammer'

